The Church of the Good Shepherd welcomes anyone on holiday or living in the Alicante area. Come and join us at Calle Juan Sebastián Elcano, 25, San Juan de Alicante. Sunday service begins at 5pm with Bible study on Tuesdays at 7pm

True Christianity

Christianity and belief in the existence of God are inextricably linked. You can believe in the existence of God without being a Christian, and many do, but you can’t be a true Christian without believing in God the Father -

Anyone who comes to (God) must believe that he exists, and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him - Hebrews 11: 6

Behind the superstitions and the multiple gods of the pagan religions, there is always a vague, imprecise belief in some overall godlike figure. The false cults of Christianity believe in God too, but refuse to believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, however, the Bible is quite clear about who Jesus really is; he told his disciples -

You believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely on God, believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely also on me - Philip said to him, Lord, show us the Father - cause us to see the Father, that is all we ask; then we will be satisfied. Jesus replied: Have I been with you for so long a time and you do not recognise me yet Philip? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say then, show us the Father - John 14: 1, 8 & 9 Amplified Version

The Bible abounds, directly and indirectly with proofs of the deity of Christ, I quote but a few. The title "the Son of God" is given to Christ forty times along with the expressions "my Son" and "his Son". That this name as used of Christ is a distinctly divine name is clearly seen from the Jews reaction to it -

Jesus said to them, "my Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working. For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was also calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God - John 5: 17 & 18

Jesus further said to them, "I tell you the truth - before Abraham was born, I am!"John 8. 58, "I am" was the description of himself that God gave to Moses from the burning bush. Both the divine titles - "The First and the Last" and "The Alfa and Omega" are given to Christ in the New Testament of the Bible - Revelation 22: 12, 13 & 16.

Thomas said to Jesus after his resurrection - "My Lord and my God". He called him "my God" and was gently rebuked for not believing it before.

Do you believe it? You can’t be a true Christian unless you do.

Believing in God the Creator of heaven and earth excludes belief in any other solution to the mystery of the universe and the astonishing variety of life on earth -

I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strength you though you have not acknowledged me, so from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know that there is none besides me. I am the Lord there is no other. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things - Isaiah 45: 5 to 7

Up until the 19th century is was hardly necessary to make a case for the existence of God, and so one could immediately challenge anyone with the gospel (the good news) about Jesus Christ. Today the increasing inroads of sin and unbelief, particularly in the western world, make the words of the Psalmist reverberate anew in our ears -

The fool says in his heart, "There is no God" - Psalm 14: 1 & 53: 1

Give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the lord’ - Proverbs 30: 9

It is interesting to note that while references to man’s wickedness and sin abound, there are few references to atheism in the Bible, because, until recently, such foolishness was rare, whereas today it is dogmatic and aggressive.

But to believe, as many millions do, that God exists, and is the Creator of heaven and earth does not save us, in fact it condemns us because, although we believe in his existence, we do not obey his commands but rather ignore them.

To be saved and on our way to heaven and not hell we must believe in and follow Jesus Christ. His words, either read in context or out of context are very clear -

"Trust in God; trust also in me - I am the way and the truth and the life. No - one comes to the Father except through me" - John 14: 1 & 6

The apostle Peter told the Jewish leadership -

Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved - Acts 4: 12

The apostle Paul states -

For no-one can lay any other foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ - 1 Corinthians 3: 11

So convinced was he that Christ and Christ alone is the only answer that he wrote this to the Corinthians -

I was resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified - 1 Corinthians 2: 22

Jesus Christ is the true Isaac the miraculous Son of Promise, The true Passover Lamb that delivered the Israelites from Egypt. He is the Eternal High Priest who leads us to God the Father and his kingly throne is everlasting.

So that all might be fulfilled he died for your sins and mine of the Cross of Calvary.

You believe in God? I hope so. Now believe in Jesus Christ and follow him as his disciple and you will be saved. Seek out an active church where he is loved and worshipped and the Bible is taught so you will grow in grace and knowledge of the truth.